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Ford has brought the “Continental” name back to its Lincoln luxury division. After years of absence, the legendary name returns, in hopes of bringing some equity back to the brand’s sedans, which have wilted in the face of stiff competition for some time now. The question now is whether or not the simple act of returning the Continental will be enough to draw buyers back to the brand. Only time and the consumer will tell, but Ford is betting on it with its new full-size luxury sedan.
Design-wise, there are few surprises as it’s pretty much a spitting image of the Continental Concept that debuted last year in Detroit. Right away, though, Britain’s Bentley brand cried foul, dues to the nomenclature and stylistic similarities to its Continental Flying Spur sedan. It’s hard not to say it, but in Lincoln’s defense, it was them that coined the “Continental” name in the first place…
Either way, the result is far from ugly. Obviously, Lincoln has spent a great deal of time on the car’s design, with the proud grille and chrome appliques drawing the eye. That grille, as it happens, is yet another change to the Lincoln grille that will be seen across the whole line-up. The headlight lenses have also been modernized, thanks to the application of LED tech.
In profile, the Continental looks a little like a stretched midsize, with strong shoulders and hips and riding on 20-inch wheels. Subtle folds and creases do well to separate the various sections of the sedan, while hidden door handles do well to provide a clean exterior look.
The rear fascia is almost identical to what was seen on the Concept, with a few nods to Lincoln’s latest release, the 2016 MKX.
The same goes for the interior, where many of the Concept’s styling cues have made it to this model. While the materials used are modern and of top quality, there’s an unmistakable retro ‘70s air about the proceedings. We would have liked the designers to have taken a few more risks, however, as the squared-off edges and broad, flat surfaces provide a clean look to the interior, if not an overall exciting one.
Still, potential buyers will be happy to find that they can choose from three interior ambiances: Chalet, Thoroughbred and Rhapsody. They’ll likely also be fans of the top-notch Revel audio system, also seen in recent Lincolns including the MKZ and MKX.
Only one motor is being spoken of at the moment, and that’s a 3.0-litre V6 first seen in the MKZ, although it’s been tuned to provide 400 horsepower and 400 lb.-ft. for this application. An automatic—perhaps a six-speed auto shared with the MKX—while all-wheel drive will come as standard. Yes, rear=wheel drive would perhaps have been more true to the Continental name, but these days if you’re going to build a full-size luxury car, it’s going to have to have AWD.
The biggest question comes down to price. We know that the Continental will be replacing the poor-selling MKS, which comes with a base price of $43,110. If the Conti manages to maintain that price, we can see it being a very interesting proposition and if Lincoln can find a way to keep it there, it could be appealing to consumers and livery/limousine service operators alike.
